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The Issue

Government Shutdown

As of 1/16/19 the federal government is still partially shutdown, which means that ,many parts of the government (national parks, NASA, and others) are temporarily closed. This is now the longest government shutdown in American history.

The Big Question

Are frequent government shutdowns a sign that our political system is not working?

Related Questions to Consider

Why are we currently having a government shutdown?

Who is to blame for the current shutdown?

When will the current shutdown end?

Will we have more shutdowns in the near future?

Have government shutdowns happened frequently throughout American history?

Are government shutdowns simply a product of separation of powers and checks and balances?

What would the Framers think about the increasing frequency of government shutdowns?

Learn - facts, data, maps, charts, visuals, videos

What?

First some background.

What is a government shutdown?

Exactly what it sounds like. Much of the federal government gets its funding from annual budget appropriations decided by Congress. The majority of the government has had such funding in place since the current budget year began last Oct. 1, but other agencies had been operating on a series of temporary extensions, the last of which expired Dec. 21 at midnight.

Since funding wasn’t enacted for those agencies, they were partially shut down. Some of the employees working at those agencies have stayed on the job nonetheless, while others have been furloughed. In both cases, they will be unpaid until spending authority is restored.

Most governments (local, state, and international), businesses and organizations do not act by shutting down until competing factions within them get what they want. The U.S. Government does.

When?

Federal government shutdowns have been more frequent in recent years. The federal government has been fully or partially closed three times since President Trump took office, and was also shuttered during the Obama administration. Even if the current shutdown is temporarily resolved, it is likely that there will be more shutdowns.

WHo?

WHy?

Because of separation of powers, both the executive branch and legislative branch are involved in funding the government. Disagreements can lead to government shutdowns, even in years where there is not divided government like in 2018.Check out Article I, Section 7 below.

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law.

Popular Opinion

YouGov asked about the shutdown for the Economist on Dec. 23-25. Fifty-one percent of respondents said Trump deserves “a lot” of blame, 44 percent thought congressional Democrats did and 39 percent said congressional Republicans did. But when asked who was most to blame, 46 percent said Trump, 35 percent said congressional Democrats and 6 percent said congressional Republicans.

Reuters/Ipsos found that 47 percent of Americans said the shutdown was on Trump, while 33 percent said congressional Democrats were at fault. The poll was in the field Dec. 21-25.

Likewise, 43 percent of respondents to a Dec. 21-23 survey by Morning Consult blamed Trump for the shutdown. Thirty-one percent thought congressional Democrats were responsible, and just 7 percent pointed to congressional Republicans.